As a result of clinical observation of 444 patients hospitalized for treatment of acute burn injury at Humana Burn Center between July 1983 and October 1986, we have developed a seven-stage method of assessing and assisting the burn victim's psychological recovery. This method delineates the stages in the normal psychological healing process in burn victims and offers specific suggestions for staff interventions to assist the patient at each stage. This method can be utilized in an integrated fashion by all members of the multi-disciplinary burn team to expedite the patient's psychological recovery and to maximize his compliance with necessary treatment modalities.